Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Treat Every Task as Three Steps, Not One

Most managers complain of not having enough time. They rush through tasks so they can move on to the next thing. But this kind of haste creates more chaos than it avoids. Instead, approach every task in three parts: Prep-Do-Review. Spend a minute or two, or even a few seconds, thinking about what you're going to do before you do it. Ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish and who should be involved. Then, do the task. Once completed, think about what you did and what happened. What did you learn? What will you do differently? Being thoughtful allows you to accomplish more with each task. You may not be crossing things off your to-do list faster, but you'll find you have more control over the results.

Source: "Better Time Management Is Not the Answer" by Linda Hill & Kent Lineback